Remember
by AerinM
Summary: *Not compliant with Dragonwatch* Sequel to Always. 5 years after the events of Always, our heroes face a new adventure in the form of a rescue mission involving an unknown assailant. This will be in traditional story format instead of the oneshot format used for the first one in this series. -ON HIATUS-
1. Kidnapped

I'm back from the dead. :) Sorry for the long wait. It took me a long time to get a full outline together as far as where exactly I wanted to go with this story – now that I've finally got one, writing will come much easier! I have historically been terrible with stories where each chapter leads directly into the next, so I'm nervous about this one. It has been, oh… probably about 14 years since I last tried, though. Hang in there with me!

Same rules as the last story – I'm even busier than I was last time. I've changed jobs since completing _Always_ , and my new job has me travelling out of town fairly often. My goal is to post one chapter per month, but I'll try to get chapters up more often than that. I'd love to finish this story before _Dragonwatch_ comes out, which I'm tooooootally looking forward to! We'll see how that goes. Please be patient with me.

Remember, this is a sequel to _Always_ so the themes I began in that story will directly relate to this one. If you haven't read that one, you could probably get by without reading it but you'll miss things.

This story will be rated T to be safe, but I won't be any more graphic with anything than the original series was. Kendra is nearly 27 and Seth is newly 25 years old here, so this is supposed to be about 5 years after the end of _Always_. First chapter is introductory and will probably be shorter in length than most of the other chapters in the story.

Disclaimer: This will serve for all chapters in this story. I do not own Fablehaven and I make no money off of my writings herein.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Kidnapped**

With experienced hands, she aimed the telescope toward the sky and located the cluster of stars she wanted to study that evening. "Pleiades is in sight. The telescope is unfortunately picking up a halo, but the image is fairly clear." She took a couple of measurements and called them out, then let out a large breath of air. "It's beautiful."

"I told you you'd love the view from here," a man's voice said to her right. He put his pen and notebook down on the ground and walked up so that he stood next to her, placing his hands on her upper arms.

"Just look at it, Dad," she said, stepping away from the telescope to allow her father to gaze for a moment. "Look at all of that creation. Those stars are so bright, it's amazing." He murmured his agreement, then stepped back to allow his daughter access to the telescope again. "Back to science," he said after another couple of minutes.

She chuckled and said, "Right. Science. Sometimes it's just so easy to get caught up in the breathtaking beauty of everything. I feel so tiny and insignificant right now." She fully stood up and went to retrieve her backpack where she kept paper, textbooks and writing utensils.

A strong, cold breeze blew past her and she shivered. She was already wearing a thick sweater, but her heavier coat laid on the ground next to her backpack so she picked it up and put it on before reaching into her bag to pull out a spiral notebook and a pen.

A sense of foreboding suddenly flooded her. She turned toward her dad and then unexpectedly found that she could no longer move. Her muscles felt like they had been frozen in ice; she felt cold inside and out and her brain started to shut down so that she could only process the feeling of paralyzing fear.

"Who do we have here?" several female voices seemed to shout. Her body was completely incapacitated and she was unable to form coherent thoughts. She couldn't see who was talking to her. The next thing she knew, she felt like her head was being ripped open and she tried to scream in pain but couldn't. All of her memories from her entire life seemed to push their way to the forefront of her brain at once and she couldn't handle trying to think of so many different things at once. In dizzying succession, they displayed in front of her like an artist's flipbook. It was agonizing to try and process everything she was seeing for only fractions of seconds at a time.

"Interesting," the voices shouted again, only they didn't really seem all that interested after all. "Wait," they continued, sounding surprised.

A single image was frozen in her mind. Her best friend. Well… former best friend.

"You know this person," the voices stated. More images to do with said former best friend rushed to the forefront of her brain. Tears leaked down her face. She would've fallen to the ground in anguish if her body wasn't frozen in place.

After what felt like an hour of her mind being forced open, the voices finally spoke again. "Bring this girl to me," they almost screamed, "if you want to see your father again." A picture of a mountain filled her mind. She felt a giant whoosh of air against her body, then as suddenly as the paralysis had set in it was gone and she fell to the ground in a graceless heap. She didn't have the brain capacity to think anymore and she fell immediately unconscious.

* * *

Bright lights inside the house disguised the fact that night had fallen outside. Seth sat at the kitchen table with his sister and brother-in-law, all of them facing each other and holding a varying number of cards in their hands. Kendra placed a card with a green eight in the middle of the table, and Bracken placed a card with a blue eight on top of hers.

Seth gritted his teeth as he pondered his next move. He'd wanted the color to remain green, and unfortunately he couldn't change it back that way. After performing a silent "eeny meeny miny moe" to himself, he placed a blue five on top of Bracken's card.

"Uno," Kendra said, putting a blue six on top of Seth's card.

Bracken shuffled through the myriad of cards he held in his hands and his expression soured a little as he played a card that consequently skipped Seth's turn.

"How was _that_ supposed to thwart Kendra's winning streak?" Seth bluntly asked the unicorn.

"Thank you," Kendra stated, smiling as she played her last card – a blue two.

"Sorry, Seth," Bracken said. "I took the wrong risk there." He gathered his cards and placed them in a neat pile on the table in front of him.

"You couldn't change the color somewhere in the hundred cards you had?" Seth asked incredulously.

"Twenty-three," Bracken corrected. "And yes, I could have, but I didn't think her last card was blue – if it wasn't, she would've had to draw a card instead."

Seth lightly tossed his cards on the table haphazardly as Kendra gathered them all up and began shuffling the deck. "One more round? Or is it time for bed?" she asked.

"Nah," Seth answered. "I think I've played enough Uno tonight to last me for the next few months at least. Is this really what boring old married people do all night?"

Bracken's eyes adopted a mischievous glint. "We prefer… _other_ activities at night," he began, his voice full of implications, "but we're playing cards because you're here."

Kendra laughed at her husband's words and her brother's flushed face as Seth sat back in his chair and smiled as he responded with a simple, "Touché." He looked up at the clock on the wall and said, "Almost eleven. I should probably head to bed. The sun rises early these days, after all."

"It _would_ kind of defeat the purpose of coming here if you stayed up all night anyway," Kendra agreed.

"Somebody has to clean up the party mess," Seth said. "I'd rather do it after a good night's sleep than after a fitful night full of the sounds of screaming things." He grimaced at the thought. "Thanks for letting me crash here."

"It's no trouble at all," Bracken reassured, standing up and placing his empty tea mug in the sink. "I'd imagine festival nights at a magical preserve would get loud and wild."

"You haven't been through one before?"

Bracken shrugged. "In the fairy kingdom? Sure. Around other parts of the world? Yes. At a preserve? It's not really my scene."

"I can't say that I blame you," Seth answered. He and Kendra stood up and the trio moved toward the living room, where three separate bedrooms branched out. "That one's yours tonight," Kendra said, pointing to the bedroom the furthest to the right.

The room filled with music and Kendra's expression betrayed her obvious confusion as she walked toward the coffee table where she'd deposited her cell phone earlier that evening. "Who's calling at this hour?" she asked herself, then paused when she looked at her phone. She seemed even more confused, but opted to answer the phone. "Hello? Julie?" she asked.

Bracken and Seth heard what sounded like frantic screaming mixed with crying and Kendra pulled the phone away from her ear slightly in reaction. "Julie – slow down, I can't understand anything you're saying right now," she said.

"KAYLA," the men clearly heard from Kendra's phone. "My dad was taken!"

"What? Have you called the police?" she asked, putting Julie on speaker phone so that her husband and brother could hear the whole conversation.

"It was – it was – I don't know how to explain – Kayla, he was taken and I couldn't move, I was frozen, I couldn't think clearly – she took him, she took him!" Julie wailed, speaking very quickly and quite obviously panicked.

"Julie, _breathe_ ," Kendra emphasized, immediately adopting a collected demeanor to counterbalance Julie's crazed one. "Where are you?"

"I'm in Buenos Aires," she answered, taking several audible breaths of air. "We'd gone a little outside city limits to do some stargazing and – and then – and then I couldn't move anything, I couldn't think, it was like my mind was being ripped open and then I saw you and she told me – she told me to bring you to her if I wanted my dad back." She was speaking very quickly, but Kendra's brain was working in overdrive as she started trying to connect what seemed like severely disconnected dots.

"You're in Buenos Aires?" Kendra asked calmly.

"Yes, at the airport. I'm getting on the first flight back to the states," she said. "I can't talk to the police, they won't believe me, I can hardly explain what happened, it'd be a huge waste of time and _she has my dad!_ "

"Come to me," Kendra said. "Fly to the Hartford airport. Call or text me with the time you'll be here and we'll be there to pick you up."

"You believe me, don't you?" Julie asked.

"Yes," Kendra said as she looked at Bracken and Seth, who both nodded in agreement. "Absolutely."

Kendra reassured Julie several more times that she wasn't crazy and that they would indeed be there to receive her at the airport before Julie finally hung up the phone. As she looked back at her husband and brother again, Seth said, "So… I'm thinking this is going to be an all-nighter after all. Anybody want some coffee?"

* * *

I'll be back soon! :)


	2. Reunion

Nice, long chapter ahead. :) I hope I don't lose any of you.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Reunion**

Kendra was on pins and needles. She had a feeling she was in for a shouting match with Julie, and she couldn't help but feel like she deserved it. Ever since they'd graduated with their bachelor's degrees, Kendra had pretty much maintained radio silence with Julie. The two hadn't had a real conversation in several years.

It wasn't for lack of trying on Julie's part – at first she called and texted often. Kendra had been invited to birthday parties, get-togethers with other former classmates, and even Julie's second graduation when she obtained her master's degree. Kendra had made up reasons for why to not go to these things at first, but then she simply stopped responding at all. Eventually Julie stopped trying to get ahold of her.

In Kendra's defense, what was she supposed to do? Say, "Sorry Julie, I can't go to your dinner party because I'm part of a group called the Knights of the Dawn, we're working on relocating a colony of little woodland elves this weekend, and I'm the translator and probably the only one they will trust"? "Sorry I can't make it to your barbeque because I'm getting married that day and no you're not invited because there's no way you could _not_ find out about magical creatures if you did come"?

Kendra had thought it would be best to sever ties with Julie. It had been one of the most emotionally difficult choices of her life – after living together for four years, they'd been best friends if not honorary sisters long before the end.

At any rate, Kendra expected a show down with Julie. She was 99% sure there would either be hysterical tears or screaming coming from her friend in reaction to reuniting – especially under these particular circumstances. In an effort to avoid causing a scene in public, Seth and Marla had gone to pick Julie up from the airport, leaving Kendra behind. It wasn't too long of a drive, so she didn't have very long to wait before their car pulled up in front of her Grandparents Sorenson's home. After consulting with her family, they'd all decided that bringing Julie there instead of Bracken and Kendra's house would be for the best. There was much more space, plus this way everyone could be debriefed simultaneously which would waste less time than having to repeat everything again.

Her heart fluttered when she saw Julie exit the car through one of the windows in the family room. They hadn't seen each other since graduation and a feeling of regret overwhelmed her. She should've made a better effort to stay in touch. She should've at least made it clear to Julie that she still cared and thought of her often. She'd missed having a best _girl_ friend for so long. Her relationship with Vanessa just wasn't the same.

Bracken appeared beside Kendra and kissed her cheek. _I'll bet she's missed you, too,_ his voice stated quietly in her mind as he did so.

"What if she hates me?" Kendra whispered.

"I don't think she will," he answered, matching her volume.

The front door, about 10 feet to their left, opened from the outside and her Grandparents Sorenson greeted Julie graciously at the opening. "It's good to see you again," Grandma Sorenson said. "I'm sorry it has to be under these circumstances though." She gave Julie a quick hug and ushered the young woman inside the house.

"Welcome to our home," Grandpa Sorenson said. "Kayla has briefly explained what you've told her, and we've gathered a group together to try and help us figure everything out. I hope you don't feel overwhelmed."

"I just want my dad back," she said. "He's more important than my comfort. I'm… a little surprised that so many people actually believe me."

"We've seen our fair share of odd things," Stan responded.

"If you need anything while you're here, just ask," Grandma Sorenson insisted.

Kendra steeled herself for the unknown and decided it was time to reunite with her estranged friend. She left her post at the window and approached Julie quickly.

The two women paused in front of each other. Julie's eyes filled with tears and then she embraced Kendra desperately. "I don't know what's going on or why we ever fell out of touch," she began, "but I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," Kendra said, emotion evident in her voice. "Much, much more than you know."

Julie then pulled back and hit Kendra – _hard_ – in her upper arm. Kendra recoiled and Julie stated, "That's for being stupid and not talking to me. I've been so _mad_ at you!" Her face reflected her frustration, her eyes still filled with tears that were threatening to spill. "It's like you suddenly just _died_ or something – you fell off the face of the planet! I called, I texted, I emailed and you never responded! You were my _best friend_ … You were practically my _sister_! What is _wrong_ with you!?"

"I'm sorry," Kendra immediately apologized. "You're right. You're absolutely, one-hundred percent right and I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, well so am I," she said bitterly. "But right now my dad is in trouble and we need to figure that out. How on earth are you involved with this?"

"We're not really sure yet," Kendra answered.

"Come into the dining room and we'll try to piece things together," Stan said, gesturing down the short hallway. Seth and Marla brushed past Julie and made their way to the dining room. Bracken grasped Kendra's hand and they brought up the rear of the group, heading into the same room after Julie and Ruth.

Warren, Vanessa and Grandpa Larsen were already seated at the table. The two men stood up when everyone else entered. Vanessa remained seated, her right hand resting on her very swollen abdomen, but she waved the other one in a simple greeting.

After quick introductions, everyone took a seat around the table and Grandma Larsen brought out mugs of hot cocoa to everyone except Vanessa, who couldn't bring herself to drink much besides herbal tea these days. She already had a cup of something warm and minty scented in front of her.

"Julie," Stan began the conversation, "Can you tell us exactly what happened again? Start from the beginning. What took you to Buenos Aires in the first place?"

She fiddled with the handle of her mug, but didn't drink any of its contents. "I just recently earned my Ph.D. in astrophysics," she said. "My dad took me on a trip to one of his favorite places in the world to celebrate. It was the end of tourist season, and not far outside of the city are some pretty good places to set up telescopes for stargazing. He was going to take me on a tour of observatories throughout South America. We flew to Buenos Aires first just to do some touristy things and were planning on leaving for La Plata the next day. We were only two days into our trip.

"The sky was very clear last night and, while we hadn't initially planned on stargazing that particular evening, my dad insisted since it was a great opportunity. Summer here is winter there. It's June so while it's getting warm here, it's cooling off down over there. We grabbed our coats and wore thick sweaters, and took my compact telescope with us. It was a cool night, but not overly cold – our coats were for back-up if we needed them. We drove maybe 20 minutes outside the city when my dad pulled over and we set up a makeshift camp for a few hours. We didn't see any other people around us, although we had a good view of the city in the distance. I set up the telescope and started looking for star clusters."

She absentmindedly took a sip of cocoa and paused before continuing her story. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she relived what happened next. "I suddenly felt really cold – like frost was covering my skin. I turned away from the telescope and put on my heavy coat. Before I could zip it up, I felt… paralyzed. It was like my whole body froze and I couldn't move anything. I couldn't think clearly, either; everything was muddled.

"Then there were female voices. Several of them, speaking in unison and… they seemed to be yelling at me while not at the same time. I don't know… does that make sense?"

Kendra looked across the table at Seth, who returned his sister's gaze and nodded his head. They were both clearly thinking the same thing. _Magical fear._ As far as the voices went, Kendra wasn't exactly sure, but the situation sounded familiar to her.

"Anyway… I don't really remember what was said at first, because my brain wasn't able to process anything." She shuddered. "After a short while, my skull felt like it was being ripped open. I couldn't scream. I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, but I couldn't move. All of these memories were forced into the forefront of my mind, it was too much to try and make sense of – I couldn't focus on anything, all I could feel was pain. I wanted to die." Another shiver rippled through her body. "I saw my entire life in front of me, everything that has ever happened to me. Then the woman – or _women_ or whoever was talking – made some comment about how boring my life was, when everything suddenly stopped and all I could see was an image of Kayla in my mind. She seemed surprised that I knew you," she said, looking at Kendra. "She sounded like she'd been thrown off guard, like her plans were changing. Then she told me that if I ever wanted to see my dad again, I'd bring you to her. A picture of a mountain was imprinted in my brain and then I must have passed out. When I woke up, dad was nowhere in sight. My telescope and our notebooks and everything were flung all over the place. I couldn't stop shaking, my head ached, I felt weak and I threw up a couple of times before I was able to pull myself together enough to drive to the airport. My backpack with my passport, wallet and extra notebooks was still in the car from earlier in the day. I called Kayla once I parked at the airport. I slept most of the way here, but my brain still feels rattled."

Silence reigned in the dining room for a moment before Grandpa Sorenson asked, "Well, everyone? What are your thoughts?"

"Magical fear," Seth said instantly. "That's what paralyzed her." Everyone else muttered their agreement.

"What about the memories, though?" Warren asked.

Bracken steepled his fingers and paused before speaking. "I can explain that," he said quietly. All attention turned toward him as he took a breath and began again. "Some of the more powerful magical beings have the ability to invade the minds of others. They can take whatever information they want by force."

"I'm not surprised," Warren said flatly.

"That does fit," Grandpa Larsen agreed. "I've heard of it before."

"Me too," Stan chimed in. "What kinds of creatures are we talking about here, Bracken? Maybe we can narrow it down."

"It sounds like a dark side power," Seth said. "Do you think I have that ability?"

Bracken paused briefly, then began to speak. "There's a wide array, although it's not something every being can do so that does narrow it down a little. And no, it's not exclusive to just the dark entities. Off the top of my head… Jinn, some of the more powerful demons, beings in the banshee family, true vampires – not blixes… lamassu, some sphinxes, wizards, dragons and… unicorns."

"Unicorns?" Seth asked with interest.

Bracken nodded his head in response. "I've done it very few times, and never with malicious intent. The experience can be very painful for the one whose mind is being invaded, as Julie has described. A polite being with this ability would never use it unless under extreme circumstances; a ruthless being can potentially kill the subject if they delve too deeply, too quickly. It is extremely invasive and particularly terrible."

While everyone else was talking, Kendra watched Julie. The other woman's expression was one of shocked confusion and her mouth dropped open when she heard Bracken declare his unicorn status.

"Hold on," Julie interrupted. "What are you all _talking_ about? Jinn? _Unicorns?_ "

"I know it sounds crazy to you now, but these creatures are _real-_ " Warren began before Julie cut him off.

"I'm a scientist. You got that, right? Ph.D. in astrophysics?"

"Yes, but what we're saying-"

"But _what!?_ " she retorted, obviously frustrated. "My dad was taken from me, and you… you're talking about _fairy tales!?_ " She then turned her attention to Kendra. "What about you? Talk to me! _Say something!_ " she yelled. She was clearly upset and her tone of voice left Kendra feeling hurt.

"We're just trying to help," Vanessa chimed in.

"Come with me for a minute," Seth said suddenly, standing up and gesturing toward Julie. "Let's take a quick walk." Before Julie could protest, Seth insisted, "Your father is missing. Nothing can change that right now, and screaming at each other will get us nowhere."

"He's right," Stan stated. "We all need to remain calm so we can discuss the situation rationally."

Julie took one last look at the mug of cocoa in front of her, then pushed it aside and stood up. Her expression showed that she felt resigned to the situation. Seth walked toward the sliding glass door that led to the back yard, but Julie didn't immediately follow.

"Come on," Seth said. "We'll spend a few minutes outside, then we'll come back inside for Round 2."

Julie shook her head. "No," she said. "Coming here was obviously a mistake. I've lost a lot of time already; I can't waste any more." She started to move back toward the living room instead.

"Wait, Julie –" Seth began, but Kendra jumped out of her chair and beat him to her friend's side.

"Stop," she pleaded quietly. "Julie, please. Stop."

Julie ceased walking forward and looked sideways at Kendra. "So, she _does_ speak," she said flatly.

Kendra paused for a moment as a look of realization washed over her face before she set it aside. "Look… I'm asking you to trust me. I know I've been a lousy friend over the past several years, but please… just trust me one more time, for the next two minutes."

"Two minutes?" Julie reiterated questioningly.

Kendra nodded her head. "That's it," she affirmed, then placed her hand on Julie's back and led her to the sliding glass door which Seth opened upon seeing the two approach him. Kendra walked through the door first, then Julie and Seth followed her. Everyone else stood up and while Bracken and Marla made their way outside, the rest of the group decided to simply gather around the open doorway and watch the scene unfold.

"Nice flowers," Julie muttered, not paying full enough attention to her surroundings. "Your time is ticking."

Kendra smiled weakly at Julie, then said something her friend didn't understand. Almost immediately, what initially appeared to be several of the largest, most vibrant butterflies she'd ever seen flew toward Kendra. Upon closer inspection, Julie gasped and said, "What the…?"

"Beautiful, aren't they?" asked Seth.

"Oh my… oh my _gosh_ ," Julie emphasized. "Fairies… is this some kind of elaborate _joke?_ "

Kendra shook her head. "All those magical creatures you've read about – minotaurs, satyrs, brownies, naiads – they're all real," she stated.

"But this – this defies the laws of science; i-i-it doesn't make sense –"

"And yet you're seeing it," Seth finished her sentence.

"Look, Julie," Kendra began, "There is so much I need to tell you about. So much about me. About my family. So much that I have wanted to share with you." She paused briefly as she watched Julie examine the fairies before they flew off to tend to some of the plants in the garden. "Even my real name."

"Real name?" Julie asked, snapping to attention instead of continuously gawking at the fairies. "What?"

" _Kayla McPherson_ is my alias," Kendra explained. "My real name is Kendra Sorenson. I'm from Rochester originally."

Julie's mouth opened and closed a few times as she was trying to form coherent sentences to say. Eventually she settled for a simple, "Why…?"

"It's a long story, one which I fully intend to tell you once we've figured out a game plan regarding your dad," Kendra said. "For now… I was kidnapped as a teenager and replaced with a very convincing doppelganger to disguise the fact that I was missing. My doppelganger killed herself. Look it up online – 'Kendra Sorenson, Rochester' – you'll see a picture of me along with my obituary. It would have raised a lot of difficult questions if, several years after her death, Kendra Sorenson suddenly showed up as a university student. I had to assume a false identity so I could reintegrate with the rest of the world."

Julie stared blankly at Kendra for a few seconds before she started looking around at the fairies again. "I don't even _know_ you, do I?" she asked.

"You do," Kendra insisted. "I'm the same ice cream-loving, energetic bookworm with questionable musical preferences who lived with you for four years. It's just that now, I get to share a whole other part of my life with you." Julie did not look appeased, but decided not to discuss it further at that exact moment in time. Seth, sensing the end of that particular conversation, suggested they head inside to continue their discussion with everyone else. The women eyed each other, Kendra's gaze full of pleading hope and Julie's full of cautious distrust, but they followed Seth's lead and headed back inside.

Once they were all seated back around the table, Kendra resumed the talk.

"I think it's a dragon that took Julie's dad," she announced, surprising mostly everyone.

"What makes you think that?" Stan asked, his brow furrowed as he paid close attention to her words.

"The way that Julie described everything – the paralyzing fear, the voices she heard – it sounds like a dragon that Seth and I faced off with at Wyrmroost more than a decade ago."

"Nafia," Seth said, a tone of realization entering his voice. His face then took on a puzzled expression. "What would she be doing outside of Wyrmroost, though? Or do you think it's a different dragon?"

"I don't know," Kendra stated. "It's just a guess. Julie actually made me connect those particular dots. ' _So, she does speak.'_ Nafia had said something similar to me once."

"We haven't really met many dragons, have we?" Seth asked. "At least not that we've spoken with."

"How can we be certain that it _was_ in fact a dragon, though?" Warren asked. "It's not like we've got a way to re-analyze what happened to her. Plus, she didn't mention _seeing_ the attacker."

"Ahem," Vanessa cleared her throat, nudged Warren and looked pointedly at Bracken who had pursed his lips as though he was trying to figure out how to broach this particular topic of conversation. Needless to say, her signals wound up attracting the attention of the everyone around the table and pretty soon Bracken was the center of attention.

A tinge of pink seeped into his cheeks as he realized everyone was staring at him. He looked at Julie and said, "I have the ability to analyze the thoughts and memories of other people."

She looked at him as though she thought he was crazy.

"What I mean, is… would you mind if I took a glance at your memories from that night? It might help us pinpoint who your assailant was."

Now she looked at him with a horrified expression.

"Let you… _what?_ " she asked, completely taken aback. "My mind was basically raped last night and you want me to go through that _again?_ Do you have _any idea_ how horrible that was?"

"I won't hurt you," Bracken adamantly insisted. "I would _never_ hurt you."

"He's telling the truth," Kendra said. "He's careful, and it's quick. No pain."

Julie wasn't about to take Kendra's word for it. "My thoughts are my own, and I don't want someone else fishing through my brain for information. No thank you."

Kendra turned to Bracken. "Maybe a demonstration would help. Can you read mine first?"

"What?" he asked, not fully following the situation.

"Or Seth. We both met Nafia. Look at our memories from that day, and then if Julie consents, compare them to her experience. You can tell us whether we're talking dragons or if we're barking up the wrong tree to begin with."

"Would that help ease your worries?" Bracken asked Julie. She leaned her head to the side, but did not commit to an answer either way.

"Alright," he said, lightly gripping Kendra's proffered hands. She closed her eyes and he said in a calm voice, "Think about that day at Wyrmroost. Picture your experience with the dragons."

After maybe a minute, Bracken released Kendra's hands and she opened her eyes. "I didn't realize the two of you combined make a dragon tamer," Bracken said as he pointed to both Seth and Kendra. "Interesting."

"We didn't tell you that?" Seth asked. "That's one of the coolest things about us."

"That's all you got from that memory?" Kendra asked quizzically.

"No, no," he said. "I saw it all, starting with you falling in the pool of water and ending with Navarog convincing Nafia to fly away. You're right – Julie's account sounds eerily familiar to your own experience."

"Nafia is the only powerful being I think I might have possibly angered, outside of the demons in Zzyzx," Kendra stated. "She just… fits. She knows my face. She might even know my name; I'm not sure."

Julie was greatly interested in their conversation, however she was hopelessly lost. "You have a lot of explaining to do," she said. "Wyrmroost? Nafia? Navarog?"

"I promise to tell you everything," Kendra said. "We can stay up all night talking if you want to. Can you please let Bracken take a look at the events of last night so we can confirm we are indeed talking about a dragon that took your father? Maybe even the same one?"

"No pain?" she asked.

"None," Kendra confirmed.

Julie reluctantly inclined her head in a nod, and Bracken stood up and walked around the table to where she sat. He knelt in front of her and held out his hands, waiting for her to place hers in his.

"This'll help my dad, right?" she asked.

"Yes," Bracken confirmed.

"Are you going to look through _all_ of my memories, or can you choose specific ones to review?"

"I won't look at anything outside of what happened last night," he promised. "I will let you guide me."

Her face betrayed her confusion. "I'll _guide_ you? How do I do that?"

"I'll talk you through it," he explained. "It'll make sense once it's over."

She slowly placed her hands in his.

"Close your eyes," Bracken said. She complied. "Think about last night. Start with when you set up your telescope. What were you looking for?"

She felt… odd. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation, but more of an opening one. She could definitely tell that there was another presence in her brain. As the memory of last night flashed to the forefront of her mind, it was kind of like she was watching the scene from afar while someone pressed pause, fast forward and rewind a few times at various points. Soon enough, the memory started to fade and she felt Bracken release her hands. As she opened her eyes, she saw him looking at her with concern. "No pain, right?" he asked.

"None," she answered. "Thank you."

"Good," he said. He stood and faced the table. "Julie never saw her attacker. It could be that because her eyes weren't opened, her human brain simply couldn't come up with a logical conclusion as to what it was seeing and so the assailant appeared as invisible instead of as a pile of rocks or whatnot. Or it could be that her assailant was behind her, and so not within her field of vision. At any rate, from what I could tell, the voices and speech patterns matched exactly the dragon from Kendra's memories."

"So it _was_ Nafia?" Seth asked.

"It's possible that I'm wrong, but not probable given the evidence," Bracken answered.

"Great. A dragon," Ruth said. "Why did it have to be a dragon?"

"At least we can count on it being one," Stan said. "We can be better prepared to face it."

"We?" Hank asked. He'd remained mostly silent until this point. "Stan, look at yourself. Look at me. We're not kids anymore. If what this young lady here said is correct, which I'm banking that it is, we will have to climb a mountain before facing off with a dragon. I'm not a tamer. Are you?"

"I'm not going to send my grandchildren into a dragon's nest without help," Stan said. "I'm no spring chicken, but I'm not useless either."

"No one said you were useless," Ruth stated. "But you have to admit, none of us old timers here are able to do most of the things we used to do in our youth. Mountain climbing included."

"What do you propose we do then?" Stan asked, sitting back and folding his arms. Bracken reclaimed his seat next to Kendra.

"We form a party," Seth said. "Like when we went to Wyrmroost. Except this time, I'm invited."

"I don't suppose I have a reason to keep you behind this time," Stan murmured. "You are an adult, after all."

"Especially since I'm the other half of Kendra's tamer," Seth responded. "Kendra has to go, obviously, since she's the one Nafia demanded for."

Kendra clenched her hand a few times as nervousness coursed through her body. Bracken placed his hand on her knee.

"I'm going," he announced. No one argued with him.

"Agad gave Tanu a little dragonsbane when we went to Wyrmroost," Seth said. "He might still have it."

"Call Tanu," Stan said to Ruth. She nodded and left the room to do just that.

"Trask and Mara were able to speak in the presence of Camarat," Warren chimed in. "They could be helpful."

"Mara has gone off the grid," Grandma Larsen said. "She's unreachable at the moment."

"Trask then," Warren insisted. "He's worth a shot."

"We'll reach out. What about you, Warren?"

Warren looked at Vanessa hesitantly, then down at her swollen belly. He clearly felt torn. His second child was due to arrive in only two weeks. On the other hand, he was a valuable asset on a mission and his presence would likely only help guarantee their success.

"How about we let you two talk it over and regroup in the morning?" Stan asked.

"That'd be great," Vanessa answered.

"Well, we have people to call and preparations to make," Stan summarized, standing up. "I suggest we adjourn until tomorrow. It's about dinner time, and I'm sure that Julie especially could use a rest."

Everyone else agreed and stood up, most making an exit toward either the back yard or the living room. Vanessa shuffled slowly toward the playroom upstairs where Jack had been keeping himself occupied with toys and books during their meeting. Soon, it was just Bracken, Kendra and Julie left in the dining room. Kendra approached Julie.

"Are you okay?" she asked sincerely.

Julie shook her head. "I'm worried about my dad. If what I've seen about dragons in the movies is true…" she planted her face in her hands. "I don't know what I'd do without him. I mean it's not like we've historically been incredibly close or anything, but… I want him alive and safe." She then muttered under her breath, "How can this all be real? How are dragons _real_? How is _any_ of this real?"

"I'm sorry this happened to you," Kendra stated.

Julie shrugged her shoulders and, seemingly brushing off their previous conversation, changed topics. "Enough about me for now. Tell me the real story of how you two met. Kayla – I mean, _Kendra_ – told me you found each other during what I'm assuming was a bogus high school graduation gift of travel to Europe."

"It's a long story –" Kendra began, sensing Julie's need to switch topics, but was cut off by Bracken.

"We met in a prison in Turkey," he blurted out. "She yelled at me."

"-or we could just dive right on in with that," Kendra finished, then turned to her husband. "I did not yell at you."

"You did! I was just trying to be friendly and you yelled at me." He was smiling at her, obviously teasing her.

"I didn't _yell_ ," Kendra emphasized. "I was _frustrated_."

"' _Look, Bracken, you need to go back to spy school_ ,'" Bracken quoted, mimicking Kendra's higher-pitched voice and failing. "' _This is actually_ worse _than feeling lonely!_ '"

"Oh yeah?" she retorted. "' _You're so…_ brilliant,'" she said, similarly mimicking his voice and also failing in her efforts.

"I was trying to give you a compliment," he said bashfully.

"I know that now," she said, placing her hand on top of his folded ones. "In hindsight, that conversation was pretty funny. At the time though, there was too much going on. I thought you were being sarcastic."

Julie's face was screwed up in confusion as she witnessed their exchange. "Uh… yeah, that's all going to take some explaining," she said.

* * *

Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers! The next chapter should be up before too long. I hope you liked it! Let me know your thoughts!


	3. Growth

I know, I died. But I'm back! So sorry for the delay. I won't abandon this story. :)

Filler chapter ahead. I have to tie up some things and explain some things before we can move on.

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Growth**

Kendra and Julie had stayed up into the early hours of the morning talking. Well, Kendra had talked while Julie mostly listened, asking clarifying questions here and there. Eventually, though, Julie had raised her hands and said she'd had enough and needed to sleep. Kendra graciously showed her to the guest room at her house and bid her goodnight.

That had been quite a few hours ago. It was now approaching lunch time and Kendra was sitting at her kitchen table, sipping a cup of peppermint tea. Bracken had left to commune with the Fairy Queen about an hour ago; she was expecting him to return fairly soon. He'd said he wouldn't be long, but sometimes he could get caught up in conversation with his mother – especially when it came to discussing upcoming expeditions.

"Good morning," came a quiet voice from behind her. She jumped and almost spilled some of her tea, then turned around to see Julie with a small, sheepish smile on her face. The smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Hi," Kendra said. "How are you doing?"

Julie shrugged her shoulders. "Okay I guess," she replied simply. She didn't make a move to join Kendra at the table, so Kendra stood up.

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?" Kendra asked.

"That'd be great," Julie said.

Kendra nodded and headed toward the kitchen. Julie opted to sit on a bar stool at the island in the kitchen and watch Kendra as she walked around.

Their relationship was obviously strained. The previous night's "girl talk" could probably be more adequately described as a _confessional_ – at least that's what it'd felt like to Kendra, anyway. Julie had hardly spoken at all while Kendra had monologued for hours. She'd told Julie everything from her childhood, up through her kidnapping. Obviously there was still more information to cover.

Several minutes of awkward silence reigned while Kendra quickly prepared some scrambled eggs and toast for her friend. Once everything was ready and had been served, Julie looked at Kendra and asked, "So what's the plan of action?"

Kendra nodded her head and said, "We leave tomorrow morning. Grandpa Sorenson is digging to try and find stories of unexplained disappearances in South America to try and pinpoint where Nafia may be hiding so that we have a better shot at finding her quickly. Tanu is on his way here from India; Warren is picking him up at the airport this evening. Trask is wrapping up another task and said he'll meet us in Buenos Aires. Mara is unreachable and Elise felt she'd be more hindrance than help so she's out."

"Who's going, then?"

"You, me, Bracken, Seth, Warren, Trask and Tanu," Kendra explained. "Warren is on the fence, actually. He really wants to come."

"He's the one whose wife is pregnant, right?" Julie asked.

"Right."

Another awkward silence for a few seconds while Julie chewed on a bite of egg. Once she swallowed she asked, "So what about you? No kids yet?"

Kendra froze, but quickly recovered and shook her head.

"Why not? You _do_ want kids still, right? Or has that changed? You used to talk about it every once-in-a-while when we were roommates."

"We… just haven't been lucky enough yet," she answered. The tone of her voice indicated she was uncomfortable discussing that further, so Julie changed the subject after a brief pause.

"So last night you left off with you being kidnapped. Care to continue?"

"Sure," Kendra responded. "Let me get us a couple glasses of water first."

* * *

Every morning at Fablehaven, Seth took care of several different chores. First up was always milk – while Hugo milked Viola, Seth would take some of the liquid to the fairies in the yard. Then he'd go back to the barn for more milk and take some to the brownies, make one more return trip to the barn to collect as much milk as he could fit into a barrel (which would then be deposited into a flat-bottomed wheelbarrow for ease of transportation) and shuttle it around the preserve to various other domains. Except the centaurs – _always_ except the centaurs. Warren or Dale had to deliver _their_ milk because, well… centaurs were still jerks in Seth's opinion.

After hanging up his milkman hat for the day, Seth then started in on feeding and otherwise caring for the non-magical animals that lived on the preserve. That is the part which took up most of his morning – feed the chickens, cows, horses, pigs, goats. While the chickens were busy pecking at the ground, he'd raid the henhouse for eggs and check out the condition of the interior; if it needed an extra cleaning (Dale cleaned it every Saturday), he'd set the eggs to the side and clean it out. The cows mostly just needed to be let out of their barn to graze, but he also had to remove any excrement from their stalls while they were outside walking around. In the winter when it was snowy, he'd bring them a mixture of hay and grains to eat. The goats also had to be set free from their confines in the mornings. Horses had to be brushed and let loose for exercise. Pigs ate the remains of whatever Grandma didn't want to put in the compost, plus grains, fruits and vegetables from the massive garden that Dale had the pleasure of caring for.

In the evenings, he was responsible for rounding up the animals; Dale and Warren usually helped him with this as the animals didn't always _like_ to be locked up for the night, so it could get a little difficult sometimes. Vanessa usually came to watch and brought 5-year-old Jack along with her – she'd tease them all as they struggled to herd the goats especially, and Jack would gleefully join in her teasing. To be honest, the men often messed up purposely while running around – Jack's giggling was contagious and they loved to hear his laughter when they took a wrong turn or "tripped" over their own feet and fell to the ground.

It was about one o'clock in the afternoon when Seth finally made his way back to the house at Fablehaven for a late lunch after tending to the farm life. He ran into Bracken, who had just entered the yard and looked like he was on his way to the main house as well.

"Hey Bracken," Seth greeted. "What've you been up to today?"

"Hi, Seth," the unicorn responded. "I was just speaking with the Queen. I wanted to know her perspective about recent events."

"Makes sense. What'd she say?"

Bracken looked around warily and then said, "Let's go inside and talk."

"Sure," Seth answered and led the way into the house. Once inside, he bustled about the kitchen to make himself some lunch while Bracken talked.

"Mother is wary of this particular venture," the unicorn began. "Nafia is known to her, although they haven't ever interacted themselves. She is a particularly unpleasant dragon with a reputation for ill deeds."

"Aren't most dragons like that though?" Seth asked.

"No," Bracken answered. "Most dragons keep to themselves and attack people or other beings either for food or to defend what they believe is their property or domain. They're aggressive, but don't _usually_ go out seeking a fight without some sort of cause. Nafia is different, similar to how Navarog was different. They worked together a lot in the past for the sole purpose of creating havoc and chaos. Destroyed communities of people, tore down monuments, razed forests to the ground. Navarog eventually consorted with demons and became obsessed with adopting their power. What little kindness or empathy he may have possessed before that happened, deteriorated quickly. He became ruthless and killed anything remotely in his way solely for the pleasure of it. Nafia did not befriend demons, however she greatly approved of his change of demeanor and assisted him in many of his pillaging ventures."

"I didn't realize the two of them had a past," Seth said.

"I didn't know the full extent," Bracken replied. "Mother is worried about our wellbeing."

Seth looked at Bracken for a moment before saying, "We can't leave Julie's dad to die."

"I wholeheartedly agree."

"You're still coming, right?"

Bracken looked at Seth like he was crazy. "Of course."

"Well… did the Queen have any advice?"

"Yes. Don't get eaten."

"That's it?"

"She also said she would try to find out how Nafia escaped from Wyrmroost and would reach out to our sisters to find out if anyone has spotted her recently." He paused. "She wants to speak with Kendra too, so I'm about to go fetch her."

"She and Julie probably stayed up late talking last night. Are you sure she's awake?"

"Yes. She's been up for a while – we ate breakfast together before I left for the shrine, which was apparently about three hours ago," Bracken said, looking at the clock on the wall. "I lose track of time so easily sometimes."

"She's probably just been talking to Julie the whole time," Seth said. "They've got a lot to discuss."

Bracken murmured his assent and then bid farewell to Seth so that he could retrieve his wife and take her to the shrine. They had purchased a plot of land that bordered the Fablehaven boundaries – close enough to be conveniently located to Kendra's family as well as the shrine, where Bracken spent most of his days helping in the never-ending rebuilding process, yet far enough away to where they had their own space and subsequent privacy (and did not have to endure the noises of festival nights, which were magically blocked by the barriers surrounding Fablehaven). Kendra's grandparents and mother were very respectful of their relationship and didn't constantly invade their home. It was a nice arrangement that was working well for them.

Kendra usually worked from home for a publishing company while Bracken was away. She spent her days reading manuscripts of potential books and providing editorial and constructive feedback to the authors. When she needed a break, she usually spent time with her mother at Fablehaven. She would occasionally visit a prospective author in their home to give suggestions or encouragement, but mostly she stayed home-bound. Bracken frequently tried to encourage her to go out and explore the nearby town and cities more often.

Once he arrived at their house, he opened the door only to find his wife and her (former?) best friend sitting in the living room talking some more about Kendra's past. He could tell that Julie was listening intently while Kendra spoke. There was no hostility in the air, but the atmosphere did reflect the unease the friends currently felt toward each other. Both women turned their gaze to him as he let himself inside and then Kendra greeted him with a simple, "Hi, handsome."

"Good afternoon, love," he responded before walking over and giving her a quick kiss. And then another, because he could never get enough.

She smiled at him. "How was your chat?"

"A lot longer than I thought it would be," he replied. "She wants to talk to you."

"Now?"

Bracken nodded his head. "Before we leave for South America."

Kendra looked at Julie and then asked, "Do you want to go for a field trip?"

Julie glanced warily at Kendra and asked, "Where to?"

Kendra turned back to Bracken. "Can you keep her company while I'm on the island?" Kendra asked.

Bracken inclined his head in a nod. "Yes, I can definitely do that," he agreed. "Have you ladies had lunch yet?"

"What island?" Julie asked. Then her eyes grew large. "Wait, are you talking about the Fairy Queen?"

"No Bracken, we've not had lunch yet. Julie, yes. The pond is my favorite place at Fablehaven – it's beautiful, I really think you'd like it," Kendra explained.

"I'll go make some sandwiches," Bracken said as he sauntered off to the kitchen.

"You're talking about the place where the shrine to the Fairy Queen is?" Julie further asked.

"Yes," Kendra stated. "It's wonderful there."

Julie shrugged her shoulders. "Sure," she said, sounding neither interested nor uninterested.

* * *

Julie wasn't sure she could believe what everyone had been talking about. She'd had to absorb so much in the past 48 hours that she'd considered nonsensical for far too many years for her to simply sit back and embrace it all with open arms. She didn't believe Bracken was actually a unicorn even though she didn't tell anyone else about her doubts. She didn't believe most of the things Kendra had told her, either.

Dragons. Unicorns. Magic. It was impossible.

But… what had happened to her and her father was _also_ impossible.

The backyard full of fairies was impossible. Did she really see fairies? Or had her exhausted and emotional mind simply allowed her to _think_ she saw fairies, since they'd been talking about dragons?

She was confused. Nothing made sense anymore. The world was upside-down from her point of view. Her mind was a very analytical place to be; a very sensible, science- and fact-filled place. None of this made logical sense to her.

But what other explanation was there?

She was torn between both wanting and _not_ wanting to believe. The effect left her frantically trying to reason out a different conclusion other than a _dragon_ as the source of her problems, while at the same time really trying to believe what everyone else had been telling her. She just wasn't positive if she was on the right track or if she was simply surrounded by crazy people who all apparently shared the same hallucination.

And _Kendra_. She wanted so badly to have her best friend back in her life, but… Kendra was one of those people currently surrounding Julie, whose sanity was being questioned. She was having a hard time coping with the lies Kendra had told her while they lived together, too, although now that they'd had a little while to reconnect she was feeling her anger over Kendra's deception and then sudden absence in their friendship start to ebb and be replaced with something akin to apathy toward the entire situation. She knew that wasn't a great place to be at emotionally, but she couldn't will herself to care at the moment – not with everything else going on at the moment.

A knock sounded on the door to the bedroom Julie was currently occupying. "Julie? Are you ready to go?" Kendra asked without entering the room.

Julie looked around and shrugged. Now was as good a time as any, she supposed. "Yes," she answered, standing up to let herself out of the room. Kendra stood in front of the door with a hopeful smile on her face, which honestly annoyed Julie a little bit, but she pushed it aside for the moment. "Lead the way," she said, gesturing forward with her hand. Kendra turned around and led Julie to the front door, where Bracken was waiting for them.

The trio didn't converse much as they made their way to the main house. The silence was a little awkward, although not unbearable, and it was fairly short-lived. Once inside the house, they made their way to the backyard where Julie's eyes once again widened as she took in all of the colorful _fairies_ that inhabited the place. She stopped walking and just gazed around, trying to make logical sense of what she was seeing. After rubbing her eyes and then re-opening them to still see the fairies hovering around everywhere, she muttered, "It just doesn't make sense."

Kendra and Bracken looked back to where Julie had stopped walking and was simply staring at everything with a somewhat shocked expression.

"What's her problem?" they heard one feminine voice say.

"Doesn't she know staring is rude?" another one asked.

Sure enough, Julie's blatant gawking was garnering the attention of the surrounding fairies.

"She's just admiring your beauty," Bracken spoke up. "Consider it a compliment."

The two fairies who did the speaking in the first place blushed and flew off in embarrassment, while others in Julie's vicinity decided to take the opportunity to show themselves off. Most of the fairies just continued to ignore the other inhabitants of the yard, although many of them kept stealing glances at Bracken.

Kendra looked at her husband and intertwined their fingers. It was petty and irrational, she knew, but she always felt the need to reiterate to the fairies that _she_ was the one who was married to the handsome unicorn. Bracken chuckled a little bit and squeezed her hand in response.

Julie looked up at the couple after a few minutes and said, "Sorry. I got distracted there for a minute. Let's move on."

"Sure," Kendra said, releasing Bracken's hand and gesturing toward one of the forest paths that led away from the yard. "You're welcome to spend some time out here this afternoon to observe some more if you want. Just stay out of the forest unless you're with one of us – we have to be careful about where we travel when we're outside of the yard."

"Understood," Julie nodded and walked to follow Kendra and Bracken into the forest.

Things still didn't make sense to her, but she would work on it. She resolved to remain in the back yard with the fairies for a while once they returned from the pond later that day.

* * *

Again, I'm sorry for the delay. For what it's worth, I have a bit more of this story handwritten out. Subsequent chapters should not be as tough for me to pen. I've been traveling a lot for work lately, and between working full-time, traveling and trying to keep up with my other job responsibilities, being a mom and having a house to simultaneously keep up with... It's really tough to find the time to write. ;) I think that once this story is done, I'll probably go back to writing one shots. I have a few that are either fully or mostly written out which I did not include in "Always," but which I think would be fun to post at some point.

I'm estimating about 12 chapters for this story. We shall see what happens!


	4. Departure

Chapter 4: Departure

* * *

 _Kendra, don't attend this mission,_ the Queen's voice echoed in her mind. A sense of urgent concern was quite emphatically conveyed with her words.

Surprise filled Kendra as her initial reaction. Confusion followed shortly. She'd only just knelt before the shrine when she was suddenly bombarded by the Queen's emotions. "I don't understand," she replied.

 _This venture is not wise,_ the Queen insisted.

"Your majesty, I—" Kendra stopped. How could she convey her thoughts and feelings sufficiently? An idea quickly registered in her brain. "May I show you how I feel?" she asked.

 _You wish to open your mind,_ the Queen deduced. Kendra felt a sense of forced patience being conveyed and she envisioned the Queen taking a breath in an effort to calm herself down. _You may do so. I will listen._

Kendra closed her eyes and focused on her memories of Julie and the close bond they'd once shared. She tried to show the Queen how much she cared for Julie and her deep desire to aid her friend. When she was satisfied, she re-opened her eyes and said, "I can't leave her to do this alone."

Love and understanding enveloped Kendra. _Your heart is so large,_ the Queen stated. _I understand your concern and care. It is one of the qualities I adore in you._ Fear and concern crept into Kendra's mind. _The decision to leave or not remains yours to make; but know that I fear for the safety of you and your companions. I advise against this mission, even though I understand why you feel you must go._ A breeze stirred and Kendra felt distinctly as though she were being embraced. _Please consider your future,_ the Queen continued. _If anything were to happen to you, my son would be devastated. I would mourn your loss for centuries. Your family would change._ She paused for a moment and an overwhelming feeling of love overcame Kendra so much that tears sprang from her eyes. _Your future is so bright. You still have so much to accomplish. If you perish, the world would be robbed of you_ and _your descendants._

Pain coursed through Kendra, and she knew it was not a projection of the Queen's emotions – it was entirely her own. "I can't have children," Kendra said with resignation and sadness. "You know this. It's not going to be possible."

 _Many difficult things are perceived as impossibilities, but that does not make them so,_ the Queen soothed.

"Bracken and I aren't _compatible_ ," Kendra emphasized. "He's a _unicorn_ and I'm a _human_. It doesn't work – your own healers have confirmed that." They'd been over this in the past, but the words exchanged and the entire circumstance itself still stung Kendra. Why couldn't she leave the subject alone? Patton and Lena hadn't been able to have children either. Bracken knew of very few historical immortal and mortal inter-species relationships, and none of those had yielded biological offspring. He had studied and researched long and hard on the subject; so had Kendra. They both continued to do so quite often. It was simply too complicated – their dynamic was too complicated.

She suddenly felt like she was receiving another embrace. _I did not intend to hurt you,_ _Kendra Sorenson,_ the Queen said. _I merely wished to impress my opinion. I do not feel right about this mission._

An image of Bracken wielding his sword in a battle stance entered Kendra's mind at that point, likely the Queen's attempt to derail the topic of their current discussion, but what was most startling about the scene was his expression – filled with hate and anger, his face was also unmistakably tearstained. He seemed to be surrounded by fire. The image was stationary, but a sense of foreboding hung heavily in the air. After a moment's observation, Kendra asked timidly, "What is this? A vision?"

A brief silence fell as Kendra deduced the Queen was gathering her thoughts. _Not necessarily,_ she eventually responded. _There are many days when I see images like this through meditation. Some of the events depicted don't make sense to me, as they concern people or beings I am not personally connected to. Some do make sense. Some of the events come to pass, others do not. This image came to me recently with a deep intensity. I may have exaggerated the dreadful feeling because the person depicted is my son who appears to be in quite obvious pain, but the feeling was nonetheless conveyed in accompaniment with the image._

Kendra was overcome with an urge to embrace Bracken and soothe the intense emotions that seemed to emanate from the image she saw. "What does this mean?" she asked the Queen.

 _I cannot say for certain,_ came the response, but the words were filled with sadness and dread. _I am fearful of this venture. Please consider my words. I am sorry for your friend, and sorry for her father who is not likely to still be alive. Nafia is extremely dangerous._

"We defeated Navarog—" Kendra began, but she knew that argument was stupid the moment she thought it up.

Raxtus _defeated Navarog, from behind, while the dragon was in his avatar form. You did not face off with Navarog in dragon form and succeed. It was luck which aided you that day, not skill. Do not underestimate your circumstances. Pride in this situation will very likely equate to death, quite potentially for your entire group._

Feeling sufficiently chided, Kendra responded, "I apologize, Your Majesty. I was out of line."

Silence reigned for a long moment while Kendra reflected on their conversation. After probably a full minute had passed, the Queen said, _You will not change your mind._

Kendra thought for a moment before replying, "I can't leave her alone. I can't leave any of them. Not when they need me."

Sad resignation washed over Kendra, along with a deep feeling of love. _I understand,_ the Queen stated. After a moment more she continued, _I am proud of you, Kendra Sorenson. I sincerely hope your mission is successful and that you and your companions remain unharmed. Before you leave, I do wish to impress upon you one last time that I believe this to be a suicide mission and my heart aches at the thought of your presence being absent from all of our lives. I am deeply concerned for the wellbeing of you and your friends._

"Did you show Bracken the image you shared with me?" Kendra asked.

 _Yes. He is determined as you are._

"I promise to do my best to protect him," she responded. "I know how much he means to you. He's my world, too – I don't know what I would do without him."

 _It is not primarily Bracken that I fear for,_ the Queen began. _I know what a broken heart looks like. My concern is for_ your _safety. Please be mindful of your surroundings and do your best to protect yourself – for all of us, but most especially for him._ Kendra felt a sense of resignation and dread wash over her. _Promise me, when you come back, that you will visit me as immediately as can be facilitated. My son as well. I wish to shield you both in my realm for a time._

"Are you sure that would be wise?" Kendra asked. "I thought my presence weakened your kingdom."

 _Somewhat,_ came the response. _It would ease my concern if you came. I fear I will distress over this until I see both of you again in person._

"I don't want you to worry about us. I feel bad that you do."

 _And I don't want you to leave, but you will do so regardless of my guidance._

"I have to."

 _I know._

Another pause.

 _Kendra Sorenson, drink from the spring._

She lifted the little bowl from the tiny fairy statue and dipped it into the spring, then raised it to her lips. Cold, extremely refreshing water slipped past her lips as she sipped, then reverently replaced the bowl where she had picked it up from. She felt strangely full – not hunger-wise, but more like her magical energy was full to the brim.

 _Never forget that I love you._

"Do you have any words of advice for me?"

 _Be safe. I will send a gift for you this evening. Keep it with you._

"Thank you," Kendra said, trying to make sure the Queen felt the full emphasis of her gratitude. "I owe you so much."

 _No, Kendra. I owe you more than I could ever possibly repay. You have brought so much happiness and contentment into our lives. I must go. Protect yourself. Remind your brother of the gift I gave him, although I suspect he wears it often._

"He does," Kendra responded. "I promise to be careful. Thank you again."

 _I love you._

Kendra felt a light breeze and sensed that the Queen's presence had departed. "I love you, too," she whispered before she stood up and walked toward the boat she had left on the shore of the little island.

* * *

Seth glanced around the airplane for his traveling companions. Tanu had the misfortune of sitting in the farthest row in the back, sandwiched in the middle seat between an elderly woman and a teenaged boy who might've been her grandson. The Samoan looked slightly humorous with small pair of reading glasses on his face while he leafed through a book, obviously trying not to encroach on the personal space of the people next to him. Seth smiled at the sight and continued his search for the rest of his friends.

Kendra and Bracken were a few rows in front and to the right of Seth, huddled together. Julie was across the aisle from himself, sitting next to Warren. Trask was closer to the front of the plane than the rest of them were.

They were a small party, that's for sure. There were pros and cons to that – one positive was that they would probably draw less attention to themselves if they were fewer in number, but one obvious drawback was that they also had fewer resources against an angry dragon. Seth took another glance at Bracken and thought that at least they had one tough powerhouse on their side. He and Kendra made up additional potential powerhouses, although neither of them knew much about how to use their unique abilities. Kendra could conjure a simple light and could now purposely read and write in one of the fairy languages, but that was about all she knew to do. Seth had been trying to work on summoning fire lately, but hadn't had any success. Sometimes he doubted whether he had the ability to do that, but the rest of the time he felt strongly that the ability was definitely there. He knew that if he just was able to somehow tap into the reserve of power within himself, he would be able to do much more even than setting things on fire. The thought thrilled him, but he often grew frustrated at his inability to figure it out. He lacked a tutor to show him how to advance his abilities, and he wished he could find someone who _wasn't_ a demon to help him. The Sphinx was the only other shadow charmer he knew, but only Agad knew where he was. Not that Seth would want to rely on the Sphinx for anything, anyway.

Seth leaned his head back against his seat and tried to calm his thoughts. It was going to be a long trip to Buenos Aires, he should rest while he could. Unfortunately, his mind didn't seem to want to turn off, and his body was too uncomfortable in the airplane seat to sleep.

His thoughts wandered to when they were packing up the SUV with their backpacks and coats, about to head off to the airport. They'd left early in the morning.

" _Here," Seth said, passing a small packet to Julie. "It's walrus butter, it has the same effect as the hot chocolate did on you yesterday and today – will allow you to see everything. I tend to keep a tab or two nearby just in case I need it."_

" _It almost feels like you're giving me drugs," Julie responded. "Try this, it'll open your eyes to_ magical possibilities _. It'll leave you wanting more."_

 _Seth laughed, genuinely surprised by her joke. "I won't charge you for it…_ this time _," he said, smiling._

 _Julie smiled in response, but it didn't fully reach her eyes. "I can't believe this is all real," she said after a moment, the smile fading from her face. She looked up at Seth and asked, "Do you really think my dad is still alive?"_

 _Seth's demeanor grew serious as well. He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I don't know," he said. "But we're not going to risk it. If he's alive, we have to do everything in our power to get him back. We're going to help you – even Kendra, and she hasn't been on a mission in a long time."_

 _Julie looked uncertain, then nodded her head and responded with a simple, "Thank you." Seth removed his hand from her shoulder and they picked up their backpacks. He wanted to talk to her more, but she was quick to head toward the SUV to deposit her load and slide into the back seat. Seth shrugged and figured he'd have plenty of opportunities to talk to her later. Instead, he made his way over to Bracken, who was trying to talk Warren into staying at Fablehaven._

" _You have a son and another child on the way," Seth heard Bracken say as he approached. "You have a family to think about."_

" _Kendra's my family, too," Warren stated, obviously growing frustrated. "So is Seth. So are you, for that matter."_

" _I understand where you're coming from, but I feel-"_

" _I've been Kendra's protector from day one-"_

" _She's not a little girl anymore-"_

" _I still feel at least partially responsible for her, even if she has you-"_

" _Guys!" Seth shouted. "Cut it out, you're both acting like overprotective brothers. As the only one in this company who actually_ is _her brother, I say she'll be fine. She can take care of herself."_

" _I want to come. I can lend a hand. I think I've proven my worth during other crises," Warren insisted._

 _Seth could tell that Bracken was about to protest again, so he interrupted before the unicorn could say anything. "What does Vanessa think?" Seth asked. "Does she even know you're trying to tag along?"_

" _She does," Vanessa's voice sounded. The trio turned around to look at her; she'd heard the arguing and exited the house to quell their concerns. She was lightly rubbing her swollen abdomen with her right hand; her other hand was placed on her lower back to try and help relieve some of the strain she was feeling there. "He knows that if he dies, I will haunt him for eternity."_

 _The words escaped his mouth before he could think about them. "Don't the dead normally haunt the living and not the other way around?" Seth blurted out. For the most part he'd learned tact over the past decade or so, but occasionally his mouth still let phrases out without his brain's pre-approval._

 _Vanessa smiled evilly and leveled her gaze at Seth. "There will be no resting in peace for him, mark my words."_

 _Seth snorted and clapped Warren on the back, wishing him luck. Bracken maintained his frown of disapproval, but didn't voice his opinion any further; the matter was settled. Warren rolled his eyes and moved to kiss his wife and her growing belly goodbye while Bracken and Seth ventured toward the car. Kendra exited the house shortly thereafter and called shotgun, then climbed into the front passenger's seat. The plan was for the group to meet up with Tanu and Trask at the airport, then fly together to South America._

 _Seth was slightly surprised that Kendra didn't sit in the back with Julie and Bracken, but didn't say anything. He knew that this was difficult for both of the women in the party for more reasons than just the obvious rescue mission. Hopefully they would snap out of it soon and go back to being, well... friends._

 _Warren jumped into the driver's seat soon after everyone else had situated themselves, flashed Kendra a smile, then inserted the keys into the ignition and started the car._

They'd already flown from Hartford to Houston, Texas, where they'd had a decently long layover. Now they were all flying internationally to Argentina. Seth was tiring from the sheer lack of things to do while they spent hours traveling in the air. Deciding to try and give sleep a better chance, he reclined his seat as far as it would go, reached below the seat in front of him for the neck pillow he'd brought with him, and plugged a set of ear buds into the video screen in front of him so he could try to listen to a movie to knock himself out. After about twenty minutes or so, his plan worked.

* * *

I'm sorry, guys. The next chapter won't be nearly as long of a wait. For some reason, this one took me forever to write out. Not just due to time restraints, although I've seriously had a major lack of free time over the past several months. Life has been very difficult, which is another contributing factor.

So… who's read Dragonwatch!? I couldn't stop grinning while reading the first few chapters, I was fangirling so hard. Loved it. Bit of a nasty cliffhanger though (aaahhhh! *worry worry*). The only problem is there is a plot hole in the beginning that I'm hoping Brandon Mull will fill in a future book. Did you guys catch it? ;) (Don't leave any spoilers in the reviews!)


	5. Progress

Chapter 5: Progress

Additional disclaimer for this chapter: I don't own Star Wars. :)

* * *

The group had thoroughly examined the area where Julie's father had been abducted to see if they could find any clues as to which direction Nafia may have taken him. After hours of meticulous searching, they had come up with nothing. Bracken had spent quite a bit of that time scanning the horizon, and it wasn't until Julie started to get upset with him for not being particularly helpful that he explained he was looking for the mountain that Nafia had burned an image of in Julie's mind. She slapped herself in the forehead and moaned in frustration at her own failure to think of that. Bracken determined shortly afterward that the mountain from Julie's memory seemed similar to one that he saw in the distance southwest of their location, but he couldn't be sure because it was so far away. Having turned up no other clues, everyone decided to call it a day and head for shelter. Besides, Tanu suggested, he had brought a laptop and assuming their lodgings provided access to wi-fi, they could set Bracken and Julie to work identifying the mountain from her memory.

Within a few hours of arriving at the hostel they were all staying the night in, and with the help of the internet, they determined that the mountain in question was near Lilpela Pass. Try as they might, they couldn't find a name for the specific mountain; however as long as they knew where they were heading, the team could plan for the upcoming days. With the identification of their final destination, Kendra was able to determine that there was a regular flight route from Buenos Aires to Aviador Carlos Campos Airport that ran once per day. That airport was close to where Lilpela Pass was located. They purchased their tickets without too much fuss for a flight out the following afternoon.

The plane ride the next day was very bumpy due to a lot of turbulence. At least, that's how it felt to Seth. It might not have been any more turbulent than any other flight, but he thought he could feel the bumps a lot more dramatically in the tiny airplane that was their ride. He gripped the arms of his seat tightly and closed his eyes. _It's only a 2-hour flight_ , he kept repeating to himself in his mind.

"Scared?" Warren asked in a teasing voice. When Seth didn't respond, Warren poked him in the shoulder. "Hey. You. We'll be alright."

"I'm more concerned about losing my breakfast," Seth said, his eyes still closed and his cheeks a little pale. "Don't worry, if I have to throw up, I'll make sure I just get you and nobody else."

"There are bags for that, you know," Warren said, suddenly feeling a little motion sick himself at the thought of being puked on.

Bracken reached forward from his seat behind Seth and placed a hand to the side of Seth's head. He said something that Warren didn't understand, but after a few seconds Seth's face started to gain a pinkish tint again and he smiled and thanked the unicorn. Warren surmised that Bracken had helped alleviate some of the nauseated feelings Seth had been having. Releasing a breath of relief at the lessening prospect that he would be vomited on, he looked to the seats behind him and Seth and found that Kendra and Julie were both receiving similar healing administrations from Bracken as well.

"They're all feeling sick?" Warren asked.

Bracken nodded his head and spoke quietly, trying not to draw the attention of the pilot and the other two passengers who were on board with them. "I'm rerouting some fluid from their ears and easing the bile in their stomachs. Fluid in ears for equilibrium and balance, and bile for obvious reasons. Tanu, do you have any minty-smelling oils or potions on you? That will help their nausea as well."

"How do you know what to do? How is it even possible for you to be able to do all of this?" Julie asked as Tanu rummaged through his potion pouch.

Bracken shrugged. "I've had a lot of practice over the years." Accepting the vial that Tanu handed to him, Bracken uncorked it and took a whiff of the contents. "Perfect, thanks," he said, passing it to Kendra. "Take a moment to breathe deeply over this. The minty scent will do wonders to help ease your nausea."

Kendra gratefully accepted the vial and did as instructed, then passed it to Seth so he could have a turn. Her husband was right, it really did help a lot.

Julie wasn't ready to let the conversation go. "Years of practice? You look like you're _maybe_ 22\. How old _are_ you?"

Bracken sent her a pointed look and responded quietly, "Much older than I look. Let's leave it at that for now."

By the end of their short flight, Tanu and Trask weren't feeling well either. Bracken tended to them as well and when the plane finally landed, everyone gave each other relieved smiles. As they exited the plane and stepped down onto the tarmac of the airport, Seth nudged Warren and said, "I can't believe you didn't get sick. That was an awful ride."

Warren instantly paled and said, "You spoke too soon," then promptly emptied his stomach onto the cement. Kendra averted her eyes, feeling squeamish. Bracken ran up to Warren and helped him to calm down, and Tanu gave Warren a potion to drink in order to help settle his stomach quickly. Once Warren had been squared away, Bracken looked up and, smiling, jokingly asked if anyone else needed assistance before they left to find lodgings for the night.

"Me," Kendra responded eagerly. "I have a very lonely hand that needs holding."

Her husband laughed and when he arrived at her side, he kissed her forehead before taking her hand in his. Kendra grinned back at him and they proceeded to follow Trask off the tarmac and into a more common area where they could get their bearings and start finding their way around town.

Seth smiled at his sister and brother-in-law as he walked behind them. He used to loudly complain when they would show any affection toward each other in public, but he'd really always approved of them being together.

* * *

"Alright everyone," Trask spoke to the group before they disbursed for dinner that evening. "Let's split up. Go find something to eat for dinner, and start asking questions; try to find out if there are any local legends or stories or anything that can point us in the right direction. Let's regroup in two hours."

"Question," Seth said, raising his hand. He continued speaking before Trask could respond. "I don't speak Spanish. So… how about that?"

"Fair point. Who here knows Spanish?" Trask asked. Julie and Bracken raised their hands. Kendra waved her hand in a gesture to suggest that she only knew a little bit. Warren responded, "I know enough to get by."

"Alright," Trask said after taking everyone into account. "I can speak Spanish as well. There are seven of us total, with three who will probably wind up being our best bet at this particular mission tonight. How do we want to split up?"

Warren interjected. "I'll go this way," he said, pointing straight ahead of where the group was collectively standing. "Bracken, Kendra, why don't you two stay together? You can consider it to be kind of like a date night." He waggled his eyebrows at them, which made Kendra roll her eyes even as she took hold of Bracken's hand with a small smile on her face.

"Julie, would you rather be partnered with Tanu or Seth?" Trask asked.

She looked at both of them and then said, "Seth, I guess."

"Don't worry, I won't take offense," Tanu stated cheerily. "Let's get this show on the road."

Bracken and Kendra walked to the left of the group, Tanu and Trask veered to the right. Julie and Seth looked awkwardly at each other at first, and then Seth asked, "So when did you learn Spanish?"

"In high school," she replied. "I had to take 2 years of a foreign language in order to graduate, and Spanish seemed like it would be the most practical choice. I wound up loving the subject and took it for all 4 years of high school, then continued studying through college while I was roommates with… Kendra."

Seth pointed in a direction that none of the other groups had gone. "Shall we go adventuring?" he asked. She nodded her head and they started walking toward a group of small buildings. They had a couple of minutes before they would arrive at their desired destination, so she decided to break the silence a little more. "What about you?" she asked.

"What about me?" Seth replied.

"Did you learn any foreign languages in school?"

Seth scratched the back of his head. "Not in school," he responded.

"Oh?" she asked curiously.

"Umm… Kendra's told you about her relationship with fairies, right?"

"Yes," Julie replied.

"Did she tell you about my relationship with the Dark Side?" he asked, watching her facial expressions in order to try and gage her response. She humored him with a smile at his Star Wars reference.

"She told me that you can disappear into shadows," Julie answered. "Is that true?" she asked.

"Yeah," he responded. "There's more to it than that, though. When I was indicted as a shadow charmer – that's what my 'title' is, I guess – I gained the ability to speak with beings of darkness the way that Kendra can speak to beings of light."

"So… you basically woke up one morning and could speak a bunch of different languages?"

"Um… kind of," Seth answered.

Julie paused. "Now if we could only figure out how to make that type of skill more accessible to everyone… imagine how much money we'd make."

Seth laughed as they approached their destination.

* * *

Warren eventually found Tanu, who was eating what looked like a bunch of meat and some empanadas. When he asked where Trask was, Tanu pointed at the nearby bar and asked if Warren had had any luck. "None," he said. "I couldn't understand anyone, they couldn't understand me… we didn't get much of anywhere."

"I thought you said you could speak Spanish?" Tanu asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"That sounded more like Italian to me," Warren responded. "I was only picking up every third or fourth word. It's confusing."

"Well then, pull up a seat. The food here is delicious," Tanu suggested. "I'm about as useful as a sack of potatoes right now anyway, so I may as well get something out of this evening."

* * *

"You know I love you, right?" Kendra asked over her dinner. It was a very hearty stew that she was glad for as the night was getting cold.

Bracken grinned. "Of course I do. What brought that up?"

"Maybe it's the lack of sleep or something, but I'm feeling particularly sentimental right now," she responded lightly, however the light didn't fully reach her eyes.

"Well," he replied, "I love you, too." He reached across the table to take her hand in his, then kissed her knuckles.

"I wish things were different," Kendra confessed.

Bracken's eyes widened and he looked at her confusedly. "What?" he asked.

"No, I mean… not like… I _love_ you, I wouldn't want to change _us…_ oh, I don't know what I'm saying…"

"What do you mean?" he asked kindly.

She sighed and looked down at her bowl, her free hand idly stirring the contents of it with a spoon. "I want a baby," she replied after a wide pause. "Everywhere I look, I see pregnant women or new moms or new dads or young families. I want to be one of them. I want to give you a child, to watch you interact with _your_ child. I want to have a baby to snuggle with and love on. I want to know what our children would look like, what they'd _be_ like. What it would feel like to have a little person calling me 'mom.' But, I know… we've already talked about this before. Many times."

Bracken ran his thumb over the knuckles of her hand which he was still holding. "I have the same dreams," he admitted. "I wish I could give you a child."

Kendra returned his gaze, then reached across the table with her free hand to take hold of his. "I love you so much more than I could ever explain," she said.

* * *

Trask walked over to the table where Tanu and Warren were eating dinner with gusto and said, "I think we're close to Nafia. Two gentlemen were telling me that some of the animals in the area have been disappearing recently without explanation. These are domesticated animals – cows, sheep and the like – so they are watched over well. They told me that they and their neighbors have been doing their best to keep watch over the animals throughout the nights as well as the days, taking turns in shifts while remaining in groups. That seems to have helped, as they haven't seen any disappearances in the past month."

"So if Nafia really is in this area, then that could mean she's been branching out to find prey in other areas," Warren inferred. Tanu agreed.

"We'll meet up with the others in another hour and see what they may have learned," Trask said. "Until then, send a couple of those beautiful empanadas my way."

* * *

I'm sorry for the delays with this story. Guys, my life has been really tough for a very long time (~8 years, but significantly moreso over the course of the past 12 months or so). I have recently officially separated from my husband, and I can't explain in short sentences how relieved I feel. I appreciate your patience with me as I not only try to find time to write, but also to just breathe and heal from all of the lies, manipulation and abuse that has been my entire marriage.

My advice to you… it takes two people to make a relationship work, and work well. If you ever find yourself in a situation where your partner is harming you, whether physically or emotionally or both, do whatever you have to do in order to leave. You are worth so much more than that. Don't allow them to treat you like trash. This is a lesson I have been learning over the past year or so. I have great hope for the future, especially now that I'm living apart from him. If you are someone who has struggled with something like this, or if you are going through it now, please talk to a friend, family member or a counsellor. Seek help. I'm here to listen too if you would like some anonymity.

Until next time!

~AerinM


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